Most athletes, at some point in their career, admit to
engaging in some superstitious acts. In high school, I wore the same T-shirt
under my jersey. Some of the more bizarre ones include former NHL star Ray
Bourque putting new laces in his skates before each game and in between each
period or the 1975 New York Islanders carrying a bag of elephant dung with the
team throughout the playoffs. One of the most superstitious athletes is former
MLB pitcher Turk Wendell who always chewed four pieces of black licorice while
pitching, jumped over the base line, brushed his teeth between innings, drew
three crosses in the dirt of the pitcher’s mound, and insisted the figures in
this contract ended in 99. Then there is current NHL super star Sidney Crosby.
He takes a different path to the team’s locker room each home game to avoid
walking past the visitor’s locker room and he engages in a specific pregame
routine, which includes a PB and J, specific stick taping, a soccer kick
around, stretching, wearing a lucky cup, and a specific handshake with teammate
Evgeni Malkin.
I bring up this topic because I’m currently reading
former pitcher Jamie Moyer’s book “Just Tell Me I Can’t.” It chronicles his
career, but is centered around his relationship with a sport psychologist. For
any Phillies fans or athletes who want better understand the mental approach to
the game, it is a great read. He discusses superstitions and how they relieve
the player of responsibility by welcoming luck into the game. Some of the
previously mentioned superstitions seem to have no real benefit in mentally or
physically preparing the athlete. But Crosby’s routine is not just
superstition, it is probably an important piece to his mental preparation. Many
of the best athletes adhere to a strict pregame routine which helps with the
mental preparation and focus necessary to compete. One of the things I often
examine with my clients which facets of the pregame routine that help improve
focus and which ones hurt performance.
I understand that athletes find comfort and lower their
anxiety with superstitions. However, in my line of work I often help athletes
build confidence by attributing success to hard work, great preparation, and
talent. When you begin letting superstitions “dictate” your success, you might
begin to admit that your success is due to something out of your control and
this often decreases confidence.
engaging in some superstitious acts. In high school, I wore the same T-shirt
under my jersey. Some of the more bizarre ones include former NHL star Ray
Bourque putting new laces in his skates before each game and in between each
period or the 1975 New York Islanders carrying a bag of elephant dung with the
team throughout the playoffs. One of the most superstitious athletes is former
MLB pitcher Turk Wendell who always chewed four pieces of black licorice while
pitching, jumped over the base line, brushed his teeth between innings, drew
three crosses in the dirt of the pitcher’s mound, and insisted the figures in
this contract ended in 99. Then there is current NHL super star Sidney Crosby.
He takes a different path to the team’s locker room each home game to avoid
walking past the visitor’s locker room and he engages in a specific pregame
routine, which includes a PB and J, specific stick taping, a soccer kick
around, stretching, wearing a lucky cup, and a specific handshake with teammate
Evgeni Malkin.
I bring up this topic because I’m currently reading
former pitcher Jamie Moyer’s book “Just Tell Me I Can’t.” It chronicles his
career, but is centered around his relationship with a sport psychologist. For
any Phillies fans or athletes who want better understand the mental approach to
the game, it is a great read. He discusses superstitions and how they relieve
the player of responsibility by welcoming luck into the game. Some of the
previously mentioned superstitions seem to have no real benefit in mentally or
physically preparing the athlete. But Crosby’s routine is not just
superstition, it is probably an important piece to his mental preparation. Many
of the best athletes adhere to a strict pregame routine which helps with the
mental preparation and focus necessary to compete. One of the things I often
examine with my clients which facets of the pregame routine that help improve
focus and which ones hurt performance.
I understand that athletes find comfort and lower their
anxiety with superstitions. However, in my line of work I often help athletes
build confidence by attributing success to hard work, great preparation, and
talent. When you begin letting superstitions “dictate” your success, you might
begin to admit that your success is due to something out of your control and
this often decreases confidence.
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